--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Others are to us like the characters in…" description: "\"Others are to us like the characters in fiction, eternal and incorrigible; the surprises they give us turn out in the end to have been predictable and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/mary-mccarthy-2691_character_others-are-to-us-like-the-characters-in_1528582.png" --- # Others are to us like the characters in fiction, eternal… ![“Others are to us like the characters in fiction, eternal and incorrigible; the surprises they give us turn out in the end to have been predictable and unexpected variations on the theme of being themselves.” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/mary-mccarthy-2691_character_others-are-to-us-like-the-characters-in_1528582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/mary-mccarthy-2691_character_others-are-to-us-like-the-characters-in_1528582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51b/mary-mccarthy-2691_character_others-are-to-us-like-the-characters-in_1528582.png) > “Others are to us like the characters in fiction, eternal and incorrigible; the surprises they give us turn out in the end to have been predictable and unexpected variations on the theme of being themselves.” [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are predictable yet surprising, reflecting the complexity of human nature. **In simple terms:** Humans are both consistent and unexpected. Key Takeaway Accept others’ contradictions. Themes human nature relationships predictability Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - friendships - workplace - family dynamics Key Concepts psychology literary observation Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about others? - How do you reconcile predictability with surprise? A Different Perspective People can change, challenging predictability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [One of the things I find in writing about people who are dead is that, after a short or long time, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/one-of-the-things-i-find-in-writing-about-people-who-are-dead-is-that/) [Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/) > [The comic element is the incorrigible element in every human being; the capacity to learn, from experience or instruction, is what is forbidden to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-comic-element-is-the-incorrigible-element-in-every-human-being/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [People who are well-known, famous people, I think, make very poor characters for fiction. 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